Israel and Gaza: nine months later

The war between Israel and Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since 2007, has lasted for nearly nine months with no signs of ending. In the meantime, innocent Palestinian civilians are caught in the crossfire. Until now I have not commented on the conduct of the war, because I am not sure I have any additional wisdom to offer beyond what others have. However, I will call readers' attention to a four-part series I wrote last year on Israel's precarious democracy. I wrote it a few months before the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel.

The ex-vangelicals' idiosyncratic faith

Christian Courier has published my monthly column under the title, Draw near. An excerpt:

In North America today there is a certain first-person narrative that frequently grabs the attention of the secular media . . . . Those telling such stories are often called “ex-vangelicals,” distancing themselves from their conservative religious past. However, not all such people become atheists or agnostics. Many retain belief in God and perhaps even in Jesus Christ, but their faith has become more idiosyncratic – a matter of adjusting what they were taught as children to who they feel themselves to be today. They have made themselves the arbiters of what is and is not acceptable in the faith.

Read the rest of the article here.

June newsletter online

My Global Scholars newsletter for June is now online, featuring news about my forthcoming Citizenship Without Illusions, podcast interviews, and a talk with seminary students about politics and the pulpit.

Seven essential qualities of a political leader

Last week Jason Scott Montoya interviewed me on the subject of seven essential qualities of a political leader, which he had gleaned from a previous post of mine. You can access the interview, along with ancillary material, by clicking on the link in the previous sentence. Or you can watch it here:

This is the third interview that Montoya has had with me. The others concerned my Political Visions and Illusions and the Russo-Ukrainian War.

Entre Amigos interview

Two years ago I appeared on the Entre Amigos podcast hosted by my friends José (Zé) Bruno Pereira dos Santos and Rodolfo Souza, whom I met nearly eight years ago during my visit to Brazil. Last evening I appeared again on this podcast to discuss my forthcoming Citizenship Without Illusions. My translator was Lucas Vianna, who has translated for me on previous occasions. Also present was Jacira Monteiro, author of O Estigma da Cor. Here is our conversation, which lasted not quite an hour and a half.

Although it was mentioned towards the end, I have not yet been approached about a Brazilian edition of my next book. I hope that it will indeed become a reality.

Local action

My monthly column appears in Christian Courier under the title, Local action. Subtitle: "Living as a responsible citizen in a way that glorifies God." An excerpt:

Several years ago, a good friend in North Carolina suggested during a phone conversation that I write a book on citizenship. At the time I was revising my first book, Political Visions and Illusions, whose second edition was released five years ago this month. I decided to take him up on his suggestion, submitting a proposal in the autumn of 2022 to InterVarsity Press. IVP accepted the proposal, and I signed a contract in January. I wrote steadily over the next months and had a more or less complete manuscript by late spring. Interviews with people featured in the book continued over the summer, and I submitted the final manuscript in September, 2023.

Read the entire article here.